01-05-2014, 06:19 AM
Kalapana Has a similar vibe to Hana. But in organization is where the similarities end. I used to be a Hana Tour Guide for Temptation tours. There are way more tourists there than Kalapana and a lot more money to be made. The tourists are not shown lots of the special spots that are really hard to access. They are shuttled to designated areas and the whole operation is highly controlled. All guides have to work for a licensed company and go through extensive training. It has very dangerous terrain and despite all the precautions people get injured all the time. Luckily I never lost anyone but It wouldn't be hard to do. People do foolish things when they are let loose at waterfalls. Its nderstood that you don't take anyone off the beaten path. I would always take people to local fruit stands and craft stands. A lot of the locals depend on the tour companies for their income and always give their Aloha for bringing tourists to them. I'm just wondering how regulated the tour co's are in Kalapana. Seems like they don't have a lot of regulations or licensing required.
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.